Mattel: Batman ’66 Toys R Us SDCC Exclusive Batgirl

It’s been nearly two years since Yvonne Craig announced that her likeness would be translated to plastic in the form of Batgirl as part of Mattel’s Battman ’66 line, but after months and months and months of (im)patient waiting, Ms. Craig has finally arrived to join Adam West and Burt Ward on our shelves to dole out some Bat-justice to evildoers everywhere! Now, I have to confess — Yvonne Craig was one of my earliest crushes (we’re talking the type of crush a 5-year-old has), and I was always thrilled when an episode of Batman featured her. I still think she holds up as the definitive on-screen Batgirl, not that she’s had a lot of competition (sorry, Alicia Silverstone), so opening this figure stirred some innocent, yet precocious, emotions. Was Batgirl worth the wait? Let’s find out!

 

Batgirl’s packaging is pretty snazzy, and what I immediately found interesting is there’s no mention of its being an exclusive everywhere. My understanding was this figure was some kind of joint Toys R Us and SDCC exclusive, and usually manufacturers aren’t shy about letting us know that on the packaging, so maybe she’ll be offered elsewhere down the road? Who knows. The packaging itself is similar to what Hasbro and Funko have been doing with their 6-inch lines, so this is a bit of a departure from the rest of the Batman ’66 line. That may bug some collectors, but I have no plans to keep her packaging, so I’m not fussed.

And seeing the illustration on the back of her on her motorcycle reminded me just how much I’d love it if that bike was released as either part of the official line or as a special edition Hot Wheels release, like they did with the standard Bat-cycle.

 

Out of the package, and upon close inspection, Batgirl’s execution is a bit of a mixed bag. Her head sculpt is faithful enough to Ms. Craig, and her paint apps are clean and sharp, which is a relief. The whole point of this line is for the figures to look as much like their respective on-screen actors as possible, and Mattel’s sculptors came reasonably close here, and by “reasonably” I mean pretty darn close for a 6-inch mass-market figure.

 

The figure does look pretty great overall, actually. They nailed the sparkly purple color of her costume, and I love how the belt is positioned on her waist, though I can’t help but wonder how it would have looked if it were a separate piece. That’s not a nit, mind you, because it does look good as-is. And, like her on-screen counterpart, she comes to us sporting high heels, which can make her a challenge to stand — you really need to find that sweet spot, so that means more dynamic poses are nearly impossible without the help of her stand.

Her cape is going to be a point of contention for some, and I can understand that. The material used is much thicker and heavier than what was used for Batman and Robin, and, as a result, it’s permanently spread out behind her as though to mimic wings. I think that was done to replicate the illustration she comes with, which is cool and all, but it would also be cool if it could lay in a more neutral position on her back.

 

Her only accessory is the stand that all the single-packed figures in the line have come with. This one features a generic nighttime skyline on one side and an illustration of Batgirl on the other. And the stand itself reads “Sock!” to mimic the action effects used on the show.

 

I mean, it’s just a stand at the end of the day, and I can see many fans tossing it in a drawer forever, but if you want more dynamic poses out of Batgirl, the stand may be necessary. Speaking of articulation, she’s consistent with the rest of the line:

• Ball-jointed head
• Hinge-and-swivel shoulders and hips
• Bicep and thigh cuts
• Single-hinged elbows and knees
• Swivel wrists and waist
• Hinged ankles

My figure only swivels at the waist, so I’m not sure if she’s supposed to have more of an ab-crunch movement or not, As it is, she’s decently poseable, but an ab crunch would be nice.

Now, her cape can be tucked under her cowl, and that helps it look more natural, but it isn’t perfect. It wants to stick out from her back a bit too much, so that kills any natural look, but I think it’s better than having it in “perma-wing” mode.

 

She’s a good fit with the rest of the line in terms of sculpt and paint, but, man — Mattel has not masted realistic, human proportions. The actors on the show were not the most athletic-looking people in the world, but they also weren’t the gangly messes these figures suggest they were. Batgirl looks okay here, and almost looks normal, with Batman and Robin, but when posed with other Mattel DC figures, she looks a bit out of place.

 

See what I mean? When she’s displayed with other, more heroic-looking female comic-based figures, she looks pretty darn gangly. I mean, look at her arms and shoulders compared to Wonder Woman’s. Yikes! So while this may be the best on-screen Batgirl so far, I can’t say it’s the best Batgirl figure. That honor may go to her comic counterpart to her left pictured above, but if you want a solid Yvonne Craig Batgirl to accompany your Adam West and Burt Ward Batman and Robin, this Batgirl is the only option, gangly arms and all.

I’m happy I was able to snag her because the ’60s Batman TV series will always occupy a special place in my heart, so even though I wasn’t expecting much from this figure, she was better than I expected her to be overall. If you’ve been collecting this line so far, you’re going to want her for sure. She complements the rest of the line nicely. If you’re looking for a Batgirl to accompany your comic-based figures, you could probably skip her.

So far, I’ve only seen her available at Toys R Us, and right now, evidently, she’s only available as part of the 3-pack, so if you really want her but missed out on the single pack, I’d start checking your local Toys R Us stores immediately.